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Eye-gouging incident mars All Blacks' win

Accusations of eye gouging by All Blacks prop Owen Franks soured their 29-9 victory over Australia in the Rugby Championship yesterday, which also ensured the world champions retained the Bledisloe Cup.

A video of Franks appearing to gouge Wallabies lock Kane Douglas during a maul early in the match at Wellington Regional Stadium emerged on social media after the niggly game.

"We saw it at the time," said Wallabies coach Michael Cheika.

"I'm sure the match review (officer) will pick that up. It was pretty open, it would be pretty hard for the match review guy to miss."

The incident was one of numerous occasions when both teams pushed the boundaries of the law, with referee Romain Poite struggling at times to control tempers from boiling over.

The Wallabies had been hammered 42-8 last week in Sydney, as the All Blacks moved the ball at high pace with near flawless execution, and the Australian side had been pilloried by their media and fans for that "Bledi-awful" loss.

While the scoreline was not as emphatic as last week, it was more than enough to send the Wallabies to a sixth successive loss.

The All Blacks have held the Bledisloe Cup, the symbol of trans-Tasman supremacy, since 2003 and only had to draw in Wellington to ensure it stayed locked in New Zealand Rugby's trophy cabinet for another season. - Reuters.